Pecan Orange French Toast

Whenever we go up to Cambria, for a quick vacation we make a point to stop along the way and have breakfast at a favorite restaurant.  

It's a tradition we do each and every trip up north.  The breakfasts and nice and hearty, filled with biscuits and gravy, an omelette, or something decadent like french toast.  

The last time we went I indulged and got an order of french toast, fruit, and bacon. Yum!  It was wonderful and the whole time I was eating it I couldn't quite make out the ingredient that made this french toast just a little more special.  One the way home it hit me!  The flavor of citrus, specifically oranges lingered in the dish.  

I still remember this dish and today I decided to re-create this for our breakfast.  I added the addition of chopped pecan which I think lent a wonderful crunch to the dish.  Oh my! Thick bread slices with a touch of grated orange peel and crunchy pecans make this French toast something special!

I hope you enjoy this for breakfast or brunch soon.




Pecan Orange French Toast 

Serves 6  

4 eggs
2/ 3 cup orange juice 
1/ 3 cup 2% milk 
1/ 4 cup sugar 
1 tablespoon grated orange peel 
1/ 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/ 4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
6 slices french bread 
3 tablespoons of butter
3/ 4 cup chopped pecans 
Maple syrup 

In a a 9x13 dish whisk together the eggs through the nutmeg (the first seven ingredients). Place bread slices in the mixture and press into the mixture.  Turn the bread over so both sides soak up the mixture.  

Meanwhile heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat.  Add 2 Tablespoons of butter to the hot pan. Allow to melt and swirl around the pan to cover all the surface area.  Add 3 or 4 slices of the egg soaked bread to the pan.  Cook on the first side 2-3 minutes until golden brown.  Flip bread over and cook for another 3 minutes.  Remove to a plate or platter and sprinkle with chopped pecans.  Serve with maple syrup if desired.

Ground Beef Stroganoff

Thank heavens for Pinterest!

The other day I had thawed a pound of ground sirloin with the intention of making a wonderful spaghetti sauce.  Then I found out that MGG had eaten spaghetti for lunch that day, so here I was with a pound of ground sirloin and no inspiration at all.  My plans were thwarted...and at this point I wanted to make something different than the usual burger, burrito, or taco.

Off to Pinterest I went in search for recipes using ground beef and came across a pin called, One Pot Ground Beef Stroganoff from the blog, Taste and Tell.  This looked to be interesting enough to try.  I mean I love Beef Stroganoff that includes steak, but I've never tried it with ground beef. Would it be beefy enough?  

The other plus about this recipe is that it is all made in one pot.  Gotta love that, as clean up is a breeze.  Since this was a first for us I decided to make the recipe but cut it in half for the two of us and save some of the ground sirloin for tostadas another day.  Still, cutting it in half it made plenty of left overs for MGG to take to work the next day.

This was a quick, tasty, and comforting meal.  A perfect weeknight meal.  One that MGG really loved.  Another dinner saved by the fabulous pins on Pinterest!

Enjoy!


Ground Beef Stroganoff

Slightly adapted from:  Taste and Tell

serves 4


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup diced onion
1 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb ground sirloin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups low sodium beef broth
4 oz farfalle pasta
1/4 cup sour cream
fresh parsley, for serving

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a pot or large skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then remove from the pot into a bowl and set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoons of oil in the same pot. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue to cook, breaking up the beef with a spoon as it cooks, until it is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Sprinkle the paprika over the top and stir to combine.

Pour in the beef broth and the pasta. Bring to a light boil then cover the pot. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the pasta is al dente, 17-20 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the mushrooms and sour cream.

Serve topped with fresh parsley.

A Wonderful Technique: Baked Bacon

Have you tried making your bacon in an oven yet?

So many people have picked up on this technique as it is the perfect way to make bacon for a crowd. Plus who wants to stand over a hot stove trying to dodge splattering bacon grease?  Not I.  Not anymore!

Crispy, smoky bacon it one of life's guilty pleasures.  I love it, MGG loves it...and I'm sure you do to. What ever you call this method, roasted bacon, oven bacon, baked bacon, or oven roasted bacon, this is a hassle free and hands free to cook that wonderful breakfast item.  

I was a skeptic at first but then I tried it.  It's wonderful for big batches, plus there's no flipping!  You could possibly cook 1 pound of bacon at a time using a large pan. Or just use two pans.  How great is that?  You can just lay the bacon on a baking sheet but for crispy bacon I suggest that you place a cooling rack on the sheet to elevate the bacon and this will create the crisp bacon we love.

Simple, easy, crispy, smokey bacon!

Enjoy!





Baked Bacon

serves 2

Ingredients:
6 slices of applewood smoked bacon (or your favorite)


Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Lay the bacon on a rack placed on a sheet pan.  Baked for 15 to 20 minutes until the bacon is crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve.